


Mis-Directed Owls

by Brennah_K



Series: Moments [2]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: AKA Severus has his hands full., Blindly Clueless Dumbledore, Dumbledore Bashing, Foraging is a survival skill., Homeless Harry, Property is a conceptual thing., Semi-streetwise Harry, Severitus of Sorts, Slytherin Harry, Slytherins Being Slytherins, Survival-oriented Harry, Trust is a two-way street
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-21 20:07:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brennah_K/pseuds/Brennah_K
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Very few things confused Albus Dumbledore, but when the owls inviting Harry Potter to attend Hogwarts return with their letters undelivered, though magically addressed to numerous addresses that make no sense to him, but show no signs of tampering - magical or otherwise, he goes to his closest source of muggle knowledge - Severus Snape, shattering Snape's preconceived notions about the boy's childhood ... and any chance Albus had to implement plans for the child - in one fell swoop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mis-Directed Owls

"Severus, my boy, come in, come in." Albus Dumbledore,the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, called out with relief as his dour protege reached his inner doorway. In truth, Albus had half-worried that man would somehow sense that request had to do with young Mr. Potter and refuse to attend. 

"May I ask why you have elected to interrupt my brewing at the precise moment I was about to distribute crushed porcupine quills, which if you might remember is a highly volatile ingredient, into several cauldrons? Do you actually time your interruptions for the most-likely moments to cause severe injury or property damage? Or have you been consulting that false oracle you have for some reason continued to rehire year after year... for the best times to interrupt and received the opposite result?" 

Dismissing the irritated but dryly (very, very, dryly) amused retort with a wave, Albus gestured to the fan of invitations laying on the desk before him. 

"Nothing of the sort, Severus, I am merely quite stumped and was hoping that you might explain this mystery to me. We are having difficulty reaching a student, you see. Although I am quite certain of his address, after his first invitation to attend was returned unopened and undelivered, I employed the school's address quill to multiple invitations. Each noted a different residence than any of the previous envelopes, and each time an owl has been sent, it has returned with the respective invitation undelivered. A careful inspection, by both Filius and myself, has confirmed that neither the owls nor any of the invitations themselves have been confunded nor tampered with. Moreover, while the quill addresses inquiries to his guardians at the address as it was known to me and they appear to have been delivered, no response has been given in return." 

When Severus arched an eyebrow and appeared ready to answer with the expected retort, Albus raised a hand forestalling him for one final detail, "Before you suggest that the boy is merely sleeping at a friend's location, please realize that I had considered this, however, I find it quite difficult to credit that between July 31st and August 31st, the child has not spent a single night with his relatives, even among muggles. It quite puzzles me, Severus, and I was hoping you might have some thought on what might be happening."

Severus had moved forward as he was speaking and used a fingertip to drag several of the envelopes that Albus had spread out in a fan to cover young Mr. Potter's name from Severus's gaze so that the younger man would not bolt before Albus could say his piece. As he did, the younger man quietly read out some of the confusing locations that the letters had been addressed to: 

"Behind the Whistlestop Bin, Euston Station, Eversholt Street", 

"Silver Birch Bush, British Library, Euston Street",

"Downy Willow Bush, Euston Square Gardens, Euston Road", 

"Mulch Mound, Drummond Crescent", 

"Coal Chute, Old Crown Coffee Shop, Chalton Street", 

"Beneath the Stairs, Shaw Theater, Ossulton Street"

... before nearly stuttering his name, "Albus, are you seriously telling me that Potter, an eleven year old child, is rough sleeping and a month has passed without any action on your part to change his circumstance?" 

Severus's tone was inexplicably aggrieved, and Albus could not help but stare blankly at him for several moments as he tried to puzzle out what Severus could have interpreted from the odd locations. To him, it sounded as if the child were enrolled in an summer education program but he had not been able to get the envelopes addressed at a proper time that would give owls a sufficient flight time to reach the child's dorm while the child was in place. It was a rather frustrating conundrum that he would need to find a work-around for. 

"Albus..." Severus practically growled, apparently recognizing that Albus had not reached his conclusion. "The child is on the streets, and if he has not been picked up and returned to his relatives in the span of a month, he may have very well been on the streets significantly longer."

"Oh, surely not. More likely, it is a summer program of some sort. Look, he is visiting The British Library, Gardens, and Shaws Theater, and look here, a renaissance square that hardly sounds..." Albus denied with astonishment only to be cut off. 

"A mulch mound, Albus? A coal chute? Behind a bin? Do those truly sound like Educational experiences, Albus."

"Why, I couldn't say." Albus answered, not quite willing to admit that he didn't even recognize the words. 

"A MULCH MOU-... ..." Severus repeated sounding increasingly irritated, before he cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose... "Of course, you wouldn't. Even Pomona doesn't use mulch; no idea if house elves use coal scuttles or chutes, but with bottomless pots available, probably not; and wizards banish their trash. Good Lord, Albus. Sometimes I wonder how ... no, that's a conversation for later. Give me the quill." 

Bemused, if a little startled by Severus's behavior, Albus summoned the address quill from its shelf and handed it to the man, who promptly set it on the bottom edge of one of the letter's he'd dragged over and commanded, "Re-address Harry Potter". The quill immediately responded quickly scratching out the child's location, repeating an earlier address: "Downy Willow Bush, Euston Square Gardens, Euston Road." 

"Fawkes, your assistance please." 

While Fawkes' ability to carry a passenger through the wards by something like apparation, it was a very well kept secret, so much so, that Albus was surprised that Severus even knew about it; however, he didn't protest as Fawkes, his phoenix familiar, flew over Severus's head and his protege raised his hands up to lightly grasp the phoenix's claws before they both disappeared in a flash of flame. So long as he located Harry and ensured that he receive his invitation to attend Hogwarts, Albus would overlook a bit of brash action on the man's part.


End file.
